Josiah A. Spaulding, Jr., President of Citi Performing Arts, discusses his passion for the arts:

"I’ve had many special moments related to the arts, but a pivotal moment was when I started to teach myself to play guitar and piano inspired by the song InMemory of Elizabeth Reed by the Allman Brothers. In high school, I’d immerse myself listening to it in order to learn the chords. Once while driving my Volkswagen bus, I was so absorbed in the song (OK, it WAS a little loud), that I didn’t hear the sirens on a police car trying to pull me over.

In my 25 years at Citi Center, I’ve been fortunate to experience performances of all genres but what gives me a thrill is watching our audiences enjoying a memorable performance in an iconic building. The arts are generational and inherent in all of us, a great inspiration we sometimes take for granted, and I get to remind people of that gift every day."

“You make the world better for yourself by making it better for others”
– Accishe, 15, City Spotlights Summer Leader

Citi Performing Arts Center’s mission is to bring quality arts education to Boston’s youth and families. The summer City Spotlights Leadership Program uses the arts as a vehicle for teaching 21st century skills, creativity, and responsibility. It’s not about coming to our theatres and practicing to be the next concert violinist, but it is about harnessing the fundamentals of the arts to become a better human being. We believe we can do that through the arts and do it well. We are encouraged that students want to repeat our program, and this year we had an unprecedented number of students audition. We are constantly in awe of how these students can come together to create inspirational works and have life-changing experiences, all because of the arts.